ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – According to national nonprofit Zero Prostate Cancer, 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

There were more than 299,000 newly diagnosed cases nationwide in 2024, and at least 35,000 deaths from the disease – roughly 11% of all those cases.

New Mexico’s data is not quite as bleak. An estimated 86 out of 100,000 New Mexican men will be diagnosed with the disease, with close to 20 of those guys dying from it, but that’s still 20 lives.

Experts will tell you early detection is key, and that starts with getting the word out. That’s what The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is all about. It’s a special motorcycle ride happening this Sunday all over the world and right here in Albuquerque.

Men and women are encouraged to dress as dapper as they can, and hop on their two-wheelers for a ride around the metro, all raising money and awareness for prostate cancer research.

“It’s one of the top two leading causes for death in the world for men,” said Troy Rivas, ride ambassador of the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride. “It’s the whole mantra that we all men, ‘We’re fine. It’s a little ache. We just get some ibuprofen.’ We don’t really take our health seriously because we’re stubborn. We’re all we’re all stubborn in our own rights, and especially when it comes to our health and the older we get, that we should be more cognizant of checking our prostate and checking other things as well.” 

There’s already 137 people registered to ride in this year’s event in Albuquerque. Those folks have already raised more than $9,000 for the cause, but organizers say they’re hoping to reach $20,000 this weekend.

Sunday’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is getting started at 8 a.m. at the Rust is Gold Coffee shop on Eubank. Organizers say the ride will last a few hours and end at the Albuquerque Press Club.